Placement of Sensing and Communications platforms for Enhanced C4ISR Operations

Information is power. Getting the right information to the right destination(s) at the right time is critical on the battlefield and in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). Enhanced C4ISR operations require optimal deployment of sensor and communications assets to maximize the probability of success of mulitple, complex, time-critical missions. Placement of these assets must take into account coverage requirement, communications requirements, conditions and dynamics of the battlespace and of the communications networks to ensure needed multimedia information flows and quality of service. The Advanced Sensor Optimal Placement System (ASOPS) being proposed for this SBIR is aimed at the development and validation of a system of algorithms for placing sensor and communications assets within the context of various mission scenarios. Scenarios will factor in many considerations including sensor and platform capabilities, mission criteria and targets, operational constraints, degrees of airspace dominance, network centric communications architectures, Tactical Data Link capabilities for tactical platforms, and environmental conditions such as terrain and foliage, weather, and EW and kinetic threats. ASOPS will make strong use of visualization to support comprehension of the algorithms, complex scenarios, and the interplay of dynamic communications, sensor and platform relationships. BENEFITS: The final ASOPS capability outlined in this proposal will provide the ability to develop and test algorithms for optimal sensor and communications asset allocation and placement as operational capabilities evolve. ASOPS will support the Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) for deployment algorithms as well as for communications and sensor capabilities. ASOPS will support development and execution of complex scenarios of multiple missions for use in validation of the algorithm systems under test. Algorithmic components developed and tested in ASOPS can be “ported” directly into operational planning systems and platforms.